The Fukushima District Court Aizu Wakamatsu Branch (in Aizu Wakamatsu City, Fukushima Prefecture) announced on August 16 that 186,000 becquerels/kg of radioactive cesium was found in the sludge in the drain in the court compound. The Aizu Wakamatsu Branch of the Fukushima District Court is located 100 kilometers west of Fukushima I Nuclear Power Plant. The radioactive sludge will be removed under the guidance from Fukushima Prefecture and Aizu Wakamatsu City.

According to the District Court Aizu Wakamatsu Branch, the sludge containing radioactive cesium was found in the “rainwater box” into which the water in the drain flows. The company that was contracted to do the cleanup took the sludge sample to a testing laboratory to see if the radiation level of the sludge in the “rainwater box” was low enough for safe cleaning and disposal. The result came in on August 11.

The District Court Aizu Wakamatsu Branch has set the 1-square meter areas around this “rainwater box” and another box as off-limit. The air radiation around the other box tested high. The Branch says the daily operation of the Court is not affected.